Family Complications
by crimsontearsxoxo
Summary: people say that the streets are no place for a young woman. but for 17 year old saphire it's safer than home. behind closed doors she has to deal with an alcoholic father, an abused mother and a frightened brother.
1. Chapter 1

I sat at my desk vigorously sketching the vase of flowers across the room. My hand guided the pencil recreating the smooth curve of the rose petal. The light under my door momentarily disappeared as my mother walked past, quickly followed by my father. I reached over to turn up the radio to drown out their shouting. I turned back to my sketch book; pleased with my work so far despite my parents fighting and my little brother sobbing on my bed. I glanced over at him catching his frightened stare. His eyes were red and puffy from crying all night. Every night. I stood up and in two quick strides knelt down in front of him pulling him into me. He threw his arms around my shoulders and wailed in to the crook of my neck.

"If you don't stop I'll hand in the divorce papers!" my mother's voice screeched above the music. I picked up the remote and turned it down to hear the reply.

"You won't do tha' you neeed me." My father slurred, the bottles in his hands clinking as he stumbled outside my door.

"I don't need you, and neither does john or Saph! We can look after ourselves, we have been for the past 4 years while you're out drinking and picking up filthy hookers!" a bottle smashed off the wall and my fathers bellowing laugh erupted.

"I have been suppor-. Supporting, this family since god knows when!"

"Supporting us how? By bringing home disease riddled women instead of money, which you insist upon pouring down your throat. You beat me, tried to rape your 17 year old daughter, and threatened to kill your 6 year old son! I want you out of my house! Out of our lives!" another bottled smashed and my mother screamed. I'd had enough. I stood up and grabbed my base ball bat – that I kept for safety – and pulled open the door. I found glass and alcohol sliding down the walls. My father stood over my mother on the floor kicking her repeatedly. I gripped the handle of the bat tightly and swung it, hitting him in the side. He whipped his head towards me. His face turned purple with rage. I swung again, missing him entirely. He moved quickly for a drunken man. He now held my throat against the wall in his iron grip. "What are ya doing sapphire? Eh? I'll do it again to you if you don't keep out."

"Please. Please dad no. I'm sorry. I'll go back in my room. I won't do it again." I cried as his other hand ran up my top. "Please, please." His stale breath blew on my face fervently.

"Michael! Leave her alone!" my mother tugged on his leg; punching him till the blisters on her knuckles burst.

"Get off woman." He flicked her to the side in a backhand. His sweat drenched clothes pressed against me. The stench of him clinging to the air as I breathed in. Choking me. His hand roamed further up my top. Groping roughly and greedily. His face centimetres from mine. Every alcohol filled pore flooded disgustingly. The devils grin cracked his lips; then faded as glass showered over his head. His hand stopped moving and his grip on my throat loosened as he fell to the floor in a heap. I stared in horror at his crumpled body. A sudden sigh of relief escaped my lips as my little brother came running to me in an embrace. Still clutching the neck of the broken bottle.


	2. Getting away

"Oh thank you John. Thank you." I wept as I held him. Kissing his forehead and wiping away his tears. My mother edged towards us, hugging her bruised ribs. She pulled her self up using my shoulder for support.

"He should be out cold for the next few hours. We should get as far away from here as we can. Saph, john, go pack your things. Take your essentials. Meet me at the car in 10 minutes." She instructed us as she ran into her room. I pulled my brother by the hand in to my room and sat him down on my unmade bed. I gave a distasteful look over my shoulder at the waste of space I was forced to call dad. I pulled open my cupboard and dragged out my blue suitcase - large enough for both me and John.

"John hunny, go get your things and put them in this side of the suitcase." I watched him run to his room and start grabbing arm loads of clothes as I packed art essentials into my bag. I placed four outfits and two pairs of shoes neatly into my case while my brother threw his in. I zipped up the case and grabbed my art work from my desk. My brother came running through zipping up his jacket and took the case from me. We vigilantly stepped around my father as not to wake him and left the house. We ran the block and a half to my mothers - secret – car. As we approached my mum turned the ignition and the headlights illuminated us. I clambered in the front seat next to my mum while John threw himself and our cases into the back seat. We took off down the street headed straight for the highway.

"Do you know where we're going?" I queried. My mum gave a flitting glance in my direction before drawing a long shaky breath.

"There's a small empty house on the outskirts of town. The man who owned it passed away a few months ago and left me the keys. That's where I've been disappearing to for the past few weeks. The gas and hot water are still running. It's perfect. Marc doesn't know where it is either." I thought back to my father and how he terrorized my brother and I. Threatening to do things to us if we didn't tell him where my mum was disappearing to. He beat John and forced me to watch. If I'd have known my mum's secret hide out then, I could have saved John. Now he'll probably need therapy. I turned in my seat and looked at my brother sympathetically as he struggled to fasten his seat belt.

"Why didn't you tell us before? We all could have gotten away earlier. We could have been safe by now." I seethed.

"I needed to be sure the place was empty. That Marc didn't know about it."

"So you just left us there. With him."

"I know hunny. I'm so sorry." She whispered to me as she stroked my cheek with one hand.

"Let's just get there okay. We need to check your ribs, make sure he hasn't broken them again." With that my mother shot down the highway like a bullet leaving a smoking gun.


	3. Arrival

**A/n. I know this one is really short but I don't have time to write much more at the moment. I will be later though. **

After a half hour drive in silence my mum turned off the tar road and started down a dirt track. Trees flashed past us like dark figures watching us in the night. Spying on us. I sat forward and watched the surrounding area for any sign of life. The fields were a land of the dead. Just then a small cottage came into view. The windows were dark and vacant but the ivy climbing up the red bricks gave it life and made all feel welcome. We pulled into a small clearing next to the cottage out of sight from the road. The door clicked as I opened it, breaking the silence and sending a flock of birds fleeing from a near by tree. I stood and took in the surroundings. The cottage and car were surrounded by trees and unkempt bushes. Apart from that the place was empty. I helped my brother get both our things and my mothers as she pulled a pair of keys out of her pocket and struggled to open the front door. We all stumbled indoors and abruptly stopped in the hall way. The place looked as if it belonged on the cover of a magazine. The walls were bright white and the lights were modern glass chandeliers. The hall way, living room and kitchen were in an open layout. Every table and work surface was either glass or polished steel. The furniture was black and square. Everything had a sleek brand new quality to it.

"Whose house was this?" my brother asked in amazement.

"Erm ; It was my father's."

Fyonna Dulley Page 1


End file.
